Tigard, Oregon

History Like many towns in the Willamette Valley, Tigard was originally settled by several families, the most noteworthy of which was the Tigard family, headed by Wilson M. Tigard. Arriving in the area known as East Butte in 1852, the family settled and became involved in organizing and building the East Butte School, a general store (which starting in 1886 housed the area's post office) and a meeting hall, and renamed East Butte to Tigardville. The Evangelical organization built the Emanuel Evangelical Church at the foot of Bull Mountain, south of the Tigard store in 1886. A blacksmith shop was opened in the 1890's by John Gaarde across from the Tigard Store, and in 1896 a new E. Butte school was opened to handle the growth the community was experiencing from an incoming wave of German settlers. The period between 1907 and 1910 marked a rapid acceleration in growth as Main Street blossomed with the construction of several new commercial buildings, Germainia Hall (a two story building featuring a restaurant, grocery store, dance hall, and rooms to rent), a shop/post office, and a livery stable. Limited telephone service began in 1908. In 1910, the arrival of the Oregon Electric Railroad[?] (OERR) triggered the development of Main Street and pushed Tigardville from being merely a small farming community into a period of growth which would lead to its incorporation as a city in 1961. The town was renamed Tigard by the railroad to distinguish it from the nearby Wilsonville Oregon[?], and the focus of the town reoriented northeast towards the new rail stop as growth accelerated. 1911 marked the introduction of electricity, as the Tualatin Valley Electric company joined Tigard to a service grid with Sherwood[?] and Tualatin[?]. William Ariss built a blacksmith shop on Main Street in 1912 that eventually evolved into a modern service station. In the 1930s the streets and walks of Main Street were finally paved, and another school established to accommodate growth.

Geography Tigard is located at 45°25'40" North, 122°46'44" West (45.427640, -122.778974)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 28.2 km² (10.9 mi²). 28.1 km² (10.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.09% is water.

Demographics As of the census of 2000, there are 41,223 people, 16,507 households, and 10,746 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,465.6/km² (3,795.3/mi²). There are 17,369 housing units at an average density of 617.5/km² (1,599.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 85.38% White, 1.14% African American, 0.61% Native American, 5.57% Asian, 0.53% Pacific Islander, 3.76% from other races, and 3.00% from two or more races. 8.94% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 16,507 households out of which 33.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% are married couples living together, 9.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% are non-families. 26.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.48 and the average family size is 3.03.

In the city the population is spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 34.1% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 92.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $51,581, and the median income for a family is $61,656. Males have a median income of $44,597 versus $31,351 for females. The per capita income for the city is $25,110. 6.6% of the population and 5.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 7.8% are under the age of 18 and 3.6% are 65 or older.

Sites of Interest While a few small farms remain in the city, for the most part they have been replaced by suburban housing. However, the John Tigard House, constructed by the son of Wilson M. Tigard in 1880 at the corner of Pacific Highway and Gaarde Street, remains, having been saved from demolition in the 1970s by the Tigard Area Historical and Preservation Association. It became registered as a National Historic Place in 1979, and now resides at the corner of SW Canterbury Lane and SW 103rd.